South African batsmen dominate as bowlers dismantle Sri Lanka

In the first Test at Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa played a strong second innings against Sri Lanka, setting a daunting target. On the third day of the match, Tristan Stubbs and Temba Bavuma achieved centuries, scoring 122 and 113 respectively. Their partnership of 249 runs for the fourth wicket proved instrumental in leading South Africa to declare at 366 for five. This commanding position followed after Sri Lanka struggled significantly in the first innings, recording a worryingly low score of 42 all out. As a result, they faced a challenging target of 516 runs to win, reflecting the strength of South African bowlers and batsmen alike. Upon resuming play on the third day, the South African side continued to build on their momentum. Stubbs and Bavuma demonstrated solid technique and resilience, which effectively thwarted Sri Lanka's bowlers. The duo focused on accumulating runs with risk-free cricket, scoring 101 runs in the 33 overs before the lunch break. Vishwa Fernando, the Sri Lankan left-armer, was notable for almost taking the wicket of Stubbs, who was dropped on 33 by Angelo Mathews. The batting conditions seemed to favor South Africa, particularly after earlier days showed some assistance for the seam bowlers. Stubbs eventually fell just before tea, bowled by Fernando after a flick shot went awry, and Bavuma made the tactical decision to declare after being dismissed leg before wicket by Asitha Fernando. Despite an improvement from their first innings score, the Sri Lankan batting line-up continued to falter under pressure from the South African bowlers. Kagiso Rabada, who took an early wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne, and Marco Jansen, who previously ravaged the Sri Lankan batting with a remarkable bowling figure of seven wickets for 13 runs in the first innings, maintained their dominance. With the Sri Lankan score at 103 for five at the close of the day’s play, it was clear that the hosts were firmly in control of the Test match. Gerald Coetzee also contributed with the ball, claiming a wicket in the process. Even though some Sri Lankan batsmen showed fleeting signs of resistance, they consistently failed to build substantial partnerships or apply pressure on the bowlers. Dinesh Chandimal remained at the crease unbeaten on 29, but with their batting order severely diminished, Sri Lanka needed an extraordinary turnaround to salvage the match from this point onward.